Electric control device



J1me 1963 F. E. BLAKE ELECTRIC CONTROL DEVICE Filed Feb. 6, 1961 OFFOUTPUT T0 MODEL TRAIN 1 l3 FIGZ FIGS

INVENTOR WEW United States Patent 3,094,680 ELECTRIC CONTROL DEVICEFrancis E. Blake, Montgomery County, Md. (6113 Ramsgate Road, Washington16, D.C.) Filed Feb. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 87,253 1 Claim. (Cl. 338-98) Thepresent invention relates to electric motor control devices and moreparticularly to a novel form of electric motor control which may beparticularly useful for controlling model or toy electric train motors.

Patent No. 2,974,268 to Blake et al., issued March 7, 1961, disclosed anelectrical control system for model or toy train electric motorsarranged to provide a simulated coasting and simulated braking controlof the electric train motor as well as the conventional speed control.Prior to the teachings of the aforesaid patent, model or toy trains wereconventionally controlled by a single speed control member and, sincethe gear reduction in the drive mechanisms of such trains is relativelyhigh, the trains would not coast and their speed was directlyproportional to the position of the rheostat or other speed controlmember. The control system of the aforesaid Patent No. 2,974,268simulated coasting by providing for the retention of applied electricpower to the model train motor after the speed control member wasreturned to the Zero or starting position. The retained electric powerwas automatically reduced gradually to zero to simulate a coastingreduction in speed for the model train. In addition, a second controlmember which may be termed a brake control was provided to control theretained application of electric power by reducing the retained powerquickly to zero, thus bringing the model train to a stop quickly underconditions simulating braking. The system of the aforesaid Patent No.2,974,268 was completely electrical in nature using electrical timeconstants to simulate both coasting and braking.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an electricmotor control device for model or toy trains that is simplified and isentirely mechanical in operation and which will provide both speed andbraking control with separate control members therefor while using amechanical time constant to simulate the coasting and braking timeinstead of the electrical time constant system as disclosed by theaforementioned patent.

Further objects, features and the attending advantages of the inventionwill be apparent with reference to the following specification anddrawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the control mechanism with supportingframework omitted for sake of clarity;

FIG. 2 is a front side view similar to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail of a modified form of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, a rheostat resistance isshown to be connected between power input terminals 11, 12 and theoutput terminals 13, 14 for connection to model train tracks (notshown). A slider 14 is connected by jumper connection 15 to terminal 12thus completing the electrical circuit for the rheostat. In place of theresistance 10, transformer taps or the like may be used as should beobvious to those skilled in the art. As the slider 14 is moved from thepower off position to the power on position, to the left of the drawing,the effective value of resistance 10 in series with the model train andthe applied power is reduced to thus increase the speed of the trainfrom Zero corresponding to the slider position shown by the solid linesto full speed corresponding to the dotted-line position of the slider.

A firs-t control member which may be termed a throttle handle is movableto and from the off position shown by the solid line and the full-onposition shown by the 3,994,680 Patented June 18, 1963 "ice dottedlines. The throttle 20 is fixed to the shaft 21 carried on the framemember 22 and lever 23 is also fixed to the shaft 21 to be rotated withthe shaft as the throttle 20 is moved. The rheostat or control slider 14is carried on a shaft 25 journalled in any suitable fashion in the slots26, 27 of frame members 22, 28. As the throttle 20 is moved from the offto the on position, the lever 23 engages the slider pin 22 tocorrespondingly move the slider 14 from the power off position to thepower on position. However, when the throttle 20 is moved back from theon position to the off position, the lever 23 disengages from the sliderpin 25 and so that the applied electrical power through resistance 10,as determined by the position of the slider 14, is retained after thethrottle 20 has been moved back towards the off position.

In order to simulate a coasting reduction in speed for the model train,the slider 14 is arranged to be moved slowly back to the rightcorresponding to the power off position after the throttle 20 has beenreturned towards its off position. A dashpot 30, which may be preferablyof the pneumatic type, has its piston 31 connected to the coasting lever33 abutting the slider pin 25 to tend to slowly return the slider pin 25in response to the tension of the spring 34 as delayed by the dashpotvent 35. By suitably choosing the parameters of the spring 34 and vent35 the return of the slider pin 35 towards the power olf position may bemade as slow as desired to gradually reduce the retained electric powerapplied to the model train so as to simulate a coasting reduction inspeed for the model train.

in order to provide a brake control when desired, a second controlmember which may be termed the brake handle 40 may be mounted on theframe 22 to be movable from the solid line off position to and from thedotted line on position. The brake handle 40 is connected by a link 41to the brake lever 42 to cause the lever 42 to move to the right as thebrake handle is moved to the right and vice versa. When the brake handleis moved to the right from the on position, the lever 42 engages theslider pin 25, assuming that the slider pin is not already at the poweroff position, and moves the slider pin 25 to the right and its power offposition. If the brake handle is moved quickly, the slider pin 25 willbe disengaged from the coasting lever 33 and will be moved quickly tothe power off position thus reducing the retained electric power quicklyto zero and bringing the model train to a quick stop simulating abraking action.

Obviously, when the brake handle 40 and brake lever 42 are moved to theright corresponding to the brake off position, the lever 42 disengagesfrom the slider pin 25. When the throttle lever 23 is moved to the left,it will engage the slider pin 25 to move the slider pin and coastinglever 33 to the left compressing the dashpot spring 34.

A slightly modified form of the invention is shown by FIG. 3 of thedrawing. In this arrangement, the brake lever 42 is movable to the rightfrom the brake ofi position to the brake on position in which the bleedvent 35 is enlarged by the operation of the valve 36. Thus the brakelever 42, by increasing the size of the vent 35 when it is moved to thebrake on position, causes the dashpot piston 31 and coasting lever 33and slider 14 to return quickly to the power oil position in response tothe spring 34 to accomplish the desired braking action simulation forthe model train.

What I claim is:

A control device for an electric motor comprising, a variable electricpower element having a slider movable back and forth between power offand power on positions, a first control member movable in a firstdirection from an oif position to engage with said slider to move theslider from power ofi position towards power on posi- 4 tion anddisengageabl from the slider when moved in second control member ismoved from its off position to the other direction towards its offposition, a second conits on position engaging and moving the slidermember trol member movable in a first direction from an elf positowardsthe power off position. tion to an on position to engage with saidslider to move the slider from power on towards power off position and 5References Cited in the fi of this patent di snga geable from the sliderwhen moved towards its UNITED STATES PATENTS ofi position, and a springloaded dashpot means engaging said slider to move said slider slowlyback from power 625,454 Maxim May 23, 1899 on position to power offposition, the engagement of said 726,593 Thomson Apr. 28, 1903 dashp'otwith said slider being di'sengageable when said 10 2,866,049 MaltbieDec. 23, 1958

